Jalvayu Pitara is an online, self-learning, interactive e – platform for community radios of the Himalayan region to build capacity of community reporters on effective grassroots climate change communication. Toolkit is in Hindi and designed and development on edutainment format of communication with of UNESCO. Whole content of the toolkit is divided in 3 modules as one “Climate change – An Introduction” second “Climate Change in Himalayn region” and third is “Role of Community Radio”. Salient features of the e- platform add by making it more user friendly to develop understanding on climate change at grassroots level.

The project is adopting contemporary media technology like Community Radio and Internet based rural Video Resource Centres (VRC) for communicating critical issue like climate change adaptation to the rural communities.

Community radio reporters trained in climate change journalism serve as an effective two way communication link at the grassroots between farmers, government line department officials and scientific experts from agriculture extension agencies such as Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs). At the state level, nodal scientific agencies, government planning departments and district planning committees are expected to work together to integrate climate change concerns in development programmes. This is facilitated by the state level nodal agencies for climate change adaptation such as the State Action Plan on Climate Change (SAPCC).

Development Alternatives and its CSO Partners have implemented the Access to Justice for Marginalised People Project in Tikamgarh District of Madhya Pradesh from 2010-2012. The road to women’s empowerment started back in the nineteen nineties by engaging in the Bundelkhand Region in both Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Madhya Pradesh (MP) with Self Help Group (SHG) formation and encouraging women to access alternatives means of livelihoods.

Women in the Bundelkhand region live in a society of extremely oppressive social values, most of them are illiterate, forced to cover their faces with purdah and often married off as children. The target group in Tikamgarh District exemplified the poor social, economic and cultural status. Over 60% of them belong to the Other Backward Caste (OBC) increasing their susceptibility to marginalisation. Additionally, 66% of the target group is illiterate and more than 50% of them are considered Below Poverty Line (BPL). The baseline survey conducted at the start of the project also outlined the extreme lack of awareness on basic rights by women in the region. For example, almost 80% of women were not aware that men and women are entitled to equal wages, nor were they aware of the reservation law for women’s participation in local Governance at Panchayat level. Additionally, the majority of women were not aware of basic justice systems provisions including the use of an FIR, the concept of a lawyer and local justice systems of legal aid through the DLSA or Lok Adalats.